A number of applications require the use of a valve which is simple in construction, effective in application and relatively easily and inexpensively produced. This is particularly true in applications where the product is disposable after a single use. For example, in the shipment of loads of material by truck or railway car, it is known to provide disposable paper air bags, which, in the uninflated condition, are inserted into voids in the load. The bags are then inflated with compressed air and expand to fill the voids so that the load is restrained against shifting during transit. When the shipment reaches its destination, the air bag is punctured and then removed from the void to permit removal of the material from the truck or railroad car. The bag is then discarded.
Since such bags are disposed of after a single use, it is desirable to provide an extremely inexpensive valve for disposal with the air bag which is simple in construction and easy to manufacture.
In other applications, such as in shipping containers containing a bulk load of material, e.g., a fluid adhesive, it is desirable to have a valve through which the material may be drained from the bulk container. The bulk container may be disposed of after use, and it is thus preferable to employ a valve which is inexpensive but reliable in operation.